Never Forget
by Rosa Cotton
Summary: “There is another in your place. He is called…husband.” Peter cannot forget Hook’s words during the journey back to London.


Disclaimer: _Peter Pan_, all characters, places, and related terms belong to J.M. Barrie, and Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Revolution Studios.

Author's Note: This is based on the '03 movie. Feedback is welcomed.

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Never Forget

The Jolly Roger is still and quiet. Sounds of laughter drift out of the captain's quarters, where the children are enjoying a late supper, onto the nearly deserted deck. Curly starts a song, and the others join in one by one. The merriment inside the captain's quarters is not shared here on deck.

Peter leans his elbows on the rail of the ship. The feathers of Hook's hat move in the light breeze, tickling his nose. Impatiently he swats them away with the back of his hand. He listens to the sounds of singing that drift to his hearing. The corners of his mouth turn up slightly, and then fall. The night sky above is clear, without a cloud; thousands of stars peer down at the sailing ship and twinkle in greeting to Peter Pan, while the full moon stares at this magical marvel and smiles brightly.

But the lone boy on the deck of the Jolly Roger does not see the stars' greetings or the moon's admiring smile. Instead his head is lowered as he gazes down into the dull grey, misty sea the ship sails through effortlessly.

His usually sparkling, clear, sea-blue eyes are now a dark stormy blue-grey, troubled, fearful. A frown darkens his face, and he bites his lower lip.

"_I'm afraid the window's barred. …She has forgotten all about you …There is another in your place. He is called…husband."_

Hook's words will not stop haunting Peter, no matter how much he wants them to. A shudder runs through his frame. He jerks the hat off his head and tosses it overboard in a fit of frightened anger. He watches with clenched jaw as the hat tumbles over itself as it falls, disappearing without a sound in the cloudy sea.

He rakes a hand through his unkempt curls_. Hook had been lying. He had to! Wendy would never bar the nursery window to me. And she will never forget me_, he is certain. And if he had the courage to admit it to himself, he will never forget her.

Peter's troubled frown deepens. _What is a husband? Will one truly take my place?_ A fear grips his heart, and a second shudder passes through him. He does not wish it to be. His fist slams down on the wooden rail.

"You're wrong, Hook," he hisses, his eyes flashing like lightning.

Suddenly he senses he is not alone. Straightening, he glances over his shoulder to see that Wendy has left the captain's quarters and is glancing about the deck. Spotting him, she instantly walks towards him. When she reaches his side, she steadies him silently. Nervous under her quizzical gaze, Peter tries to smile. She offers him an apple, which he wordlessly accepts before returning his attention to the sea below. Wendy follows his lead, leaning her elbows on the rail, and begins eating the second apple she brought with her. The two children eat in a sad silence.

"There's Big Ben," Wendy says, spotting the top of the huge clock tower in the distance. "Home is not much farther."

Peter swallows thickly and shivers. _Home_.

"Are you cold?"

He looks into Wendy's clear eyes and shakes his head. His gaze moves from hers to the moon shining behind her.

"Hook said you will have a husband one day. Is it true?" he asks suddenly.

Startled by his question, she drops her half-eaten apple, which vanishes into the grey clouds below. "Yes, it is true," she answers quietly.

Peter's apple joins hers in the wet-less sea. He nods solemnly. "Will it…he take my place, Wendy?" He returns his eyes to her face.

"I do not know. I suppose so," she whispers after a long pause, her voice trembling. She drops her gaze to her feet, unable to hold Peter's intense eyes.

"A husband is not a boy…but a man." It is not a question.

"Yes."

The boy observes the sky, watching, listening to the stars for a long while. The girl beside him blinks back tears and watches as the ship sails by Big Ben. Home is closer.

"Wendy, will you stop believing?" the boy asks, his throat burning.

She replies with difficulty, "Never."

"Will you bar the window?" the words are quieter.

"No," the girl's answer is barely heard.

Peter's eyes begin to shine like diamonds. "Will you forget…?"

She is puzzled until she glimpses the thimble between his fingers. "No, Peter, never." Turning her body to face him, she leans over and gently kisses the right corner of his mouth. "It will always belong to you."

Peter's fingers brush the corner of his mouth. His eyes are of a dying storm when they look deep into Wendy's. A small smile, lacking some of the dark shadows, crosses his face. She smiles in relief to see him starting to look like his old self and blushes lightly.

Glancing up at the sky, they watch a shooting star race across the heavens. Peter's hand covers Wendy's and presses it gently.

"Land hoe!" cries one of the twins.

Peter looks over to see the girl smiling in excitement. Meeting his gaze, she laughs softly and hurries off towards the captain's quarters. He stares after her.

"_What do you feel? Happiness… Sadness… Jealousy… Anger… Love."_

"Love?" the boy breathes.

"_Love."_

"Love…_Wendy_," he answers the seemingly long-ago question. A bittersweet smile twisting his lips, he moves off to prepare for the last leg of the journey. They are almost home.

THE END


End file.
